Sōya Azashiro
, otherwise known as Kenpachi Azashiro (痣城 剣八, Azashiro Kenpachi), was once a Captain of the 11th Division in the Gotei 13. He is the 8th Kenpachi, having won the title from his predecessor, Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, and was once a member of the prominent Azashiro Family. Appearance In contrast to his title as Kenpachi, Azashiro has a rather gentle and docile appearance. He has long black hair, which is darker than Kamui's, kept tied in a ponytail with a golden band that would belong to that of royalty, except for two long strands on opposite sides of his forehead that hang downwards. His eyes are always narrowed, symbolizing his seriousness and indifference to events that occur around him. Azashiro wears a unique variation of the Captain haori, first being worn when he was made the Captain of the Eleventh Division. It has a golden mantle with black markings going around his neck and attached onto his haori at the edges, going down until his midsection. His haori has long bell-sleeves, which each have slight cuts right above the elbows. Underneath his haori, Azashiro wears a standard Shinigami's uniform: the shihakushō. This consists of a black kosode and black hakama. As a Captain, he wore a standard white obi with his shihakushō, but after siding with Kamui, he takes to wear a thick golden belt over the obi, closed at the front by four locks. On either side of this strange belt, there seems to be some unique depictions that would be normally seen in mythology books. Personality History Story Spirits Are Forever With You Powers & Abilities Zanpakutō The name of Azashiro's Zanpakutō is unclear. Urozakuro (雨露石榴, Rain and Dew Pomegranate) is repeatedly used as the name for his Zanpakutō, yet because it always exists in a Bankai state, the name Urozakuro would most accurately describe its Bankai form and not necessarily the Zanpakutō itself. The shape of Urozakuro's sealed form is unknown. *'Shikai': By Azashiro's own admission, he does not know the release call of his Zanpakutō. In Shikai form, the sword has no unique features, and is compared in appearance to a standard Asauchi. :Shikai Special Ability: Unique to Uro Zakuro, the Shikai does not possess an ability of its own and is instead entirely dependent upon the Bankai. In Shikai form, all of the reishi that Azashiro had fused together with in Bankai is drawn to him and condensed into the form of a single sword. It is the act of abandoning his all-powerful shield but gaining a powerful spear instead. *'Bankai': :Bankai Special Ability: The power of Azashiro's Bankai is to fuse with all of his surroundings and to control it. This is a power that extends to everything, even the air and the ground. According to Yoruichi Shihōin, Azashiro's inner world is constantly fused with the outside world. As such, pinpointing his location to an exact coordinate is impossible, as whenever she attempted to determine his location, she could never track his location down to anything more specific than "he is within Seireitei". Azashiro used this power to fuse his own being with various portions of the Seireitei, which made Seireitei itself a mere extension of his being. As such, his senses were also mixed with Seireitei, allowing him to perceive everything that goes on within that area.Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You I"},"attrs":{"name":"SAFWY I"}}" about="#mwt25" class="reference ve-pasteProtect" id="cite_ref-SAFWY_I_1-3" rel="dc:references" data-parsoid="{"src":"Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You I","dsr":4483,4555,20,6}" data-ve-attributes="{"typeof":"mw:Extension/ref","rel":"dc:references","about":"#mwt25"}">1 He can fuse with the air around him, which causes all attacks to pass through his body no different than passing through the air. Azashiro has also demonstrated the ability to use with Gigai bodies, utilizing them as extensions of himself with which he could perform a multitude of Kidō spells using their bodies as proxies.Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You II"},"attrs":{"name":"SAFWY II"}}" about="#mwt26" class="reference ve-pasteProtect" id="cite_ref-SAFWY_II_2-4" rel="dc:references" data-parsoid="{"src":"Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You II","dsr":4888,4962,21,6}" data-ve-attributes="{"typeof":"mw:Extension/ref","rel":"dc:references","about":"#mwt26"}">2Seitai Yūgō (生体融合, Living Body Fusion): The ultimate technique of Urozakuro. It allows Azashiro to fuse with living beings such as Shinigami, Hollows, or animals. Because living beings possess a 'self', it is not the same as fusing with the air or minerals, because living beings can resist the fusion. Using this technique, he is able to loosen the muscles and heart of his victim, which consequently results in the loosening of their spiritual pressure, enabling Azashiro to kill them in one move. This is how he managed to dispatch Kenpachi Kuruyashiki easily.Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You II"},"attrs":{"name":"SAFWY II"}}" about="#mwt29" class="reference ve-pasteProtect" id="cite_ref-SAFWY_II_2-5" rel="dc:references" data-parsoid="{"src":"Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You II","dsr":5548,5622,21,6}" data-ve-attributes="{"typeof":"mw:Extension/ref","rel":"dc:references","about":"#mwt29"}">2 As a consequence of relying on his Bankai's power, Azashiro lacks considerable physical strength. He is unable to train his body while in the Bankai state. It is stated that Azashiro is so weak physically that he could be easily overpowered by a Rukongai ruffian.Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You II"},"attrs":{"name":"SAFWY II"}}" about="#mwt31" class="reference ve-pasteProtect" id="cite_ref-SAFWY_II_2-6" rel="dc:references" data-parsoid="{"src":"Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You II","dsr":5934,6008,21,6}" data-ve-attributes="{"typeof":"mw:Extension/ref","rel":"dc:references","about":"#mwt31"}">2 Soul Portion Destruction: When Azashiro fuses with something in Bankai form, it is akin to placing a piece of his own soul into that substance. Therefore, when that substance is destroyed, so too is that piece of his soul destroyed as a result. When Uryū Ishida had used Quincy: Letz Stil to absorb the reishi of the surrounding Seireitei buildings, Azashiro felt incredible pain since he had been fused with some of those structures. Upon using various Gigai bodies as extensions of himself to cast the forbidden sacrificial Kidō, Ittō Kasō, the bodies of the Gigai along with the portion of his soul within them had been sacrificed in the process.Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You I"},"attrs":{"name":"SAFWY I"}}" about="#mwt34" class="reference ve-pasteProtect" id="cite_ref-SAFWY_I_1-4" rel="dc:references" data-parsoid="{"src":"Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You I","dsr":6681,6753,20,6}" data-ve-attributes="{"typeof":"mw:Extension/ref","rel":"dc:references","about":"#mwt34"}">1Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You II"},"attrs":{"name":"SAFWY II"}}" about="#mwt35" class="reference ve-pasteProtect" id="cite_ref-SAFWY_II_2-7" rel="dc:references" data-parsoid="{"src":"Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You II","dsr":6753,6827,21,6}" data-ve-attributes="{"typeof":"mw:Extension/ref","rel":"dc:references","about":"#mwt35"}">2 Spiritual Power Absorption: In Bankai, while he can avoid almost any form of attack while fused with the air, Azashiro is still vulnerable to powers that can absorb his Spiritual Power, such as Yumichika Ayasegawa's Zanpakutō, Ruri'iro Kujaku.Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You II"},"attrs":{"name":"SAFWY II"}}" about="#mwt37" class="reference ve-pasteProtect" id="cite_ref-SAFWY_II_2-8" rel="dc:references" data-parsoid="{"src":"Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You II","dsr":7109,7183,21,6}" data-ve-attributes="{"typeof":"mw:Extension/ref","rel":"dc:references","about":"#mwt37"}">2 Battles Sōya Azashiro vs. Kenpachi Kuruyashiki (Victory) Sōya Azashiro vs. Kenpachi Zaraki (Loss) Trivia In Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World, which is also written by Ryogō Narita, Tokinada Tsunayashiro references Azashiro's Urozakuro and compares it to the use of Fullbring by Aura Michibane, who is also able to fuse with the air to avoid damage. Tokinada has said that Aura's Fullbring is the closest one can get to the power of Urozakuro Category:Characters Category:Shinigami Category:Male Category:Former Shinigami Captains Category:11th Division Category:Novel Original Characters